Field of the Various Embodiments
The various embodiments relate generally to vehicle control systems and, more specifically, to a shape-changing surface.
Description of the Related Art
User interfaces provide a mechanism for humans to interact with machines and computer-based systems. Vehicle control systems, such as in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) systems, include user interfaces that allow a driver or passenger to operate and control various functions of the vehicle, such as adjusting the volume of a sound system, accepting an incoming cellular phone call, entering a destination address into a navigation system, and playing a media file. Touch screens, buttons, knobs, and other devices may be used to operate and control the functions of a vehicle control system. Vehicle control systems also may provide functionality associated with movement of the vehicle, such as steering, increasing speed, decreasing speed, and braking.
Depending on the current mode of an IVI system, a particular type of input may cause different functions to occur. For example, a swipe-forward gesture on a touch screen while the IVI system is in a navigation mode may cause the screen to pan a map. On the other hand, inputting the same swipe-forward gesture while the system is in a music playback mode may cause the next song to be played. To assist a user in operating the IVI system, the touch screen may indicate whether the IVI system is in the navigation mode or the music playback mode.
Despite the availability of different devices for operating vehicle control systems, various issues can affect a driver's ability to pay sufficient attention to the road while operating a vehicle control system. For example, before providing input to an IVI system, a driver may need to look away from the road and towards a screen in order to determine the current mode of the IVI system. Additionally, the driver may have to look at the screen to determine which actions can be performed in a particular mode. A particular mode of the IVI system may accept swiping gestures as input, whereas another mode may not. By looking at the screen, the driver is unable to effectively pay attention to the road, increasing the likelihood that the driver will collide with an object in the surrounding environment.
As the foregoing illustrates, more effective techniques for interacting with a vehicle control system would be useful.